Head Coach Pat Shurmur
August 14, 2018
Joint Practice with Detroit
Q: Things went according to script out there with the whole practice?
A: I thought it was a very competitive practice. We keep telling them, and Matt (Patricia) and I are on the same page, if you compete and stay on your feet, then we can get a lot done. I felt like the competition was terrific, those extended drives were really good. There’s a level of conditioning to that, I think that’s important, and it was good. We’re in training camp mode and our ones, our twos, and our threes got a lot of good work against a good opponent.
Q: (Can you give us) an update on Saquon (Barkley)?
A: Yeah, the same as yesterday. He just tweaked his hamstring. (It’s) day to day, we’ll just see where he’s at, but really nothing to add from yesterday. Nothing serious, I think. Just day to day.
Q: Nothing serious?
A: Tweak.
Q: When he tweaks it yesterday and it’s somewhat minor, obviously you’d be cautious with a preseason game coming up Friday. What’s the head coach thinking?
A: I think it’s day to day. Certainly, player safety is right on the front burner for all of us all the time, so if he’s able to go, he’ll play; if he’s not, then he won’t be out there.
Q: How important do you view it for a rookie running back to get significant playing time in the preseason? What are the benefits?
A: I think it’s important that guys can play and certainly if they’re healthy, they will play. If they can’t get out there, then we’ll get them out there soon as we can.
Q: Odell (Beckham) did the one-on-one drill today, which I don’t think he was doing when it was just you guys versus you guys. What went into having him do those today?
A: He was out there practicing today. It’s good you guys are charting the reps for me, I’ll take that information if you want.
Q: What did you think of how he performed, first-glimpse?
A: He did great. You’ve watched him all summer here, competing at practice. If you create the same setting, it’s just against a different team, then you’re just out there practicing, and that’s what he did.
Q: We’ve seen (Odell) back there at practice preparing punts a lot. Is that something you’d do in a game with him?
A: He’s very good at it. He can return punts and kicks, so he’s practicing in the event that we would use him.
Q: How close or far is Connor Barwin?
A: It’s hard to say. He’s day to day as well, so we’ll just have to see.
Q: Being close to home for you this week, what are some of the things you plan on doing?
A: Not much, really. My mom lives very close, I’ve got a brother that lives close, so we’ll find a way to share a meal. Maybe we’ll get her out here to practice tomorrow. Got a couple of aunts I want to see. Aside from that, we’re really in training camp and just because practice is over now, we’ve got hours of meetings to go through and we want to go back and watch all the stuff we did today and make corrections and come out tomorrow.
Q: It looks like you met with Bob Quinn a little bit before practice. Is that the first time you spoke with him since you interviewed for the job here?
A: No, I’ve spoken to him throughout the offseason. I’ve known Bob a long time, and certainly through the interviewing process, we met extensively, but no, just normal conversation.
Q: What was that experience like when you were interviewing here with the Lions?
A: I enjoyed it. I felt like if it had worked out here, I would have been excited about the opportunity. I certainly feel great about where I’m at, I couldn’t be in a better place. I pinch myself every day being the head coach of the Giants. Having played against them for all those years in the NFC East, it’s just a proud franchise that I’m just honored to be their coach.
Q: Has Kyle Lauletta impressed you at all, has he earned maybe some more looks, some more reps?
A: He’s done a good job and he’s consistently improved, like you see from a rookie that you have high hopes for, and you saw today he made some throws. This will sound cliché, but it’s important for quarterbacks to get completions, and he finds a way to do that, so that’s why we’ll just see if he can keep it going.
Q: Will the structure be similar tomorrow to today?
A: Yeah, we’ll work on different situational drills, but it will feel the same in terms of length of practice and what we’re trying to get done.
Q: What did you think of the two-minute drill with Eli (Manning)?
A: He moved the ball down the field, and the safety had a good play on the ball. To that point, we’re making good throws and the connection is good. There’s a lot to be hopeful for.
Q: You have monitored his workload, (Eli) looked like he was fresh out there today.
A: I thought he was throwing the ball well. He was getting completions.
Q: Is Curtis (Riley) starting to separate himself at free safety?
A: It’s hard to say. I was on our offensive field all day today, so I’ve got to really go back and grind on what our defense did today. I got reports that he did well. That’s the downside for the head coach. You’re only seeing half the team until that last long period when you’re doing the extended drives. But, he’s playing well, he was playing well prior to his hamstring deal, and now he’s getting back out there.
Q: Wayne Gallman has been given an opportunity with Saquon out, what do you like from him?
A: I think he’s another guy I didn’t know much about him, even though there were reps a year ago. I’m gaining an appreciation for what he is as a runner, a pass catcher, and a blocker. Any of these young players that can get more reps than we had originally scheduled for them, that’s a blessing for those guys because they have the opportunity to show us more of what they can do, and improve. When you’re young and fresh-legged, you have an opportunity to….
Q: It seems like the players are enjoying the sort of flexibility and creativity here on the offense. Are you able to share what kind of feedback Eli (Manning) has given you specifically on that?
A: No, again, we’re learning to work together. There’s lots of different plays. It’s important that we run the ones that make sense for us, and certainly the ones that Eli feels comfortable with. It’s fun to watch him, you want to be in sequence mentally, you almost want him to be able to finish your sentence, that’s why it’s so important that we train.
